Authorities point to serious lapses at Haryana child homes

The district legal services authority (DLSA) has pointed to several lapses at city-based shelters for children and women.

The district legal services authority (DLSA) has pointed to several lapses at city-based shelters for children and women.

Narinder Kaur, chief judicial magistrate-cum-DLSA secretary, underlined in her day-long visit to various centres on Friday the need of 'better running' of children homes and Nari Niketans.

The visit followed a recent directive by the Punjab and Haryana High Court appointed state legal services authority in wake of shocking reports of child abuse at child care centres in the state.

"A lot needs to be done to ensure a healthy and safe environment for children in shelter homes," said Kaur, who evaluated care centres on many parameters such as maintenance of admission and discharge register, medical files of inmates, budget statement, staff movement book, action taken reports on absence or missing of inmates, etc.

The DLSA team found that a child was missing from a shelter home and its staff had done little to trace him or report the matter to the district administration.

"Care centres, which house several women inmates do not have women care takers, which is a major concern," said Kaur, adding that from now on such visits would be a routine affair.

A National Commission for Protection and Child Rights (NCPR) raid on May 9 exposed how young girls were routinely disrobed and beaten up with iron rods and mentally challenged women were left to fend for themselves at railway stations by the staff of a state-recognised shelter home, Bharat Sangha in Rohtak.

In the first week of May, a rape case came to light in a Gurgaon orphanage, Suparna ka Angan, where the caretaker had been abusing minor girls.